On the morning of Wednesday 12th February, 2014, five elephants strayed out of Murchison Falls National Park to Atura village in Loro sub county Oyam district about five kilometres from the park boundary.

One of the elephants in the group which seemed injured separated from the rest of the group and started reacting angrily at the people .This lonely elephant killed two people and seriously injured another one, who was rushed to Atapar Health Centre but unfortunately died shortly after arrival.

The confirmed victims are Vincent Obua an adult male aged over 50, Vincent Okori aged 16, both of Ewari village, Adigo Parish, Loro Sub County. The third victim Edward Menya aged over 50 years hailed from Adakober parish. A hut belonging to Tony Ebu was pulled down by elephants but all occupants survived unhurt.

UWA rangers led by the Conservation Area Manager Mr. Tom Okello, together with other security agencies, hurried to the scene to scare the elephants back into the park. At the time of this report, all the five elephants had been successfully drive back to the protected area.

UWA management along with the district leadership have run radio announcements on local fm stations to alert the public about the straying elephants and how to keep safe from the threat.

UWA Management deeply regrets the unfortunate incident and will work together with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities plus the Tourism fraternity to manage the situation.